A 32-year-old woman was arrested on Tuesday while allegedly smuggling 7.5kg of crystal methamphetamine, or ya ice, worth about 30 million baht from Laos through a border checkpoint in Nong Khai's Muang district.

Poonyanuch Saranan was apprehended at the first Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge across the Mekong River, Nong Khai police said.

Officers' suspicions were aroused by 17 pairs of black platform shoes in her luggage. On examination they found 7.5kg of crystal meth concealed in the soles and heels of the shoes. The drugs were worth about 30 million baht on the street, police said.

The Khon Kaen native allegedly confessed to smuggling the drugs, explaining she had money problems. She told investigators she was hired by a foreign man to take the drugs to Bangkok.